A Love That Transcends Time
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: Bail had been dead for close to five years now, and Eirtae nearly three. A chance meeting in the grocery store had been all it took for them to reignite a spark that both of them had thought dead for close to a lifetime. Anidala Modern AU


**I haven't seen a lot stories with old Padme and Anakin and often times they are just in the epilogue. I wanted to do something a little different so I came up with this and wrote it in under an hour. I honestly expected to make it a little longer, but I didn't like the things I added. Maybe I'll do another story with old Anidala in the future with some of those things but for now enjoy!**

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It was chance that had brought them together despite how Anakin always said it was fate. Padme had never believed much in fate. Life was too uncertain and chaotic for such a thing as fate to work so hard to bring two people together after so long. They had both lived full lives by the time they found one another again. If there was such a thing as fate, why then had it taken so long for them to be together? regardless, she knew Anakin well enough not to argue too much with him in those moments. All he really wanted was to be romantic and how could she not give in to such sweet words? It had been years since anyone paid such attention to her. Bail had been dead for close to five years now, and Eirtae nearly three. A chance meeting in the grocery store had been all it took for them to reignite a spark that both of them had thought dead for close to a lifetime.

Padme leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder as they sat in the comfort of their apartment as the television played an old movie they both remembered fondly. His arm came to wrap around her shoulders and she snuggled closer, bringing her hand to his lap where his other hand rested on his thigh. The hard calluses on the pads of his fingers had hardened from a lifetime of hard work and the skin had wrinkled as the muscles had started to weaken. He gave her fingers an affectionate squeeze as he traced her knuckles, paying close attention to the ring he had placed on her hand only a few months ago. His chest rose as she could make out the small traces of that proud Skywalker smile start to peak out. "Mrs. Skywalker." She said the name in her head over a thousand times by now. It was still surreal not to think of herself as Mrs. Organa anymore. It had been her name for so long but being Mrs. Skywalker… it made her feel as giddy as a school girl again since there had been a time when such a name seemed the most logical next step.

She and Anakin had dated so long ago, and what started as a silly summer fling, had unexpectedly become something more. One night swimming at the lake, turned into shared rides to and from school, movies and dinner dates, texting at ungodly hours, prom… it looked like any high school romance, but it felt like so much more to both of them. Shared kisses before and between class were more than just flirtatious claims on one another, they were promises between lovers, promises and vows of a love that neither of them were mature enough to fully understand at the time. But before they could figure out what they were, high school ended and their lives diverged. College called. And with it, new relationships came and went. Their careers pulled them to different parts of the country and as the years passed, what they once shared became nothing more than a distant memory kept alive only by the annual Facebook Birthday reminders they both received.

They had both moved on. Anakin had started a car repair business in Philadelphia while she went on to become a Senator for Massachusetts. He fell in love with Eirtae, and had a son with her. While she married her close friend and colleague, the Senator Bail Organa with whom she had a daughter with. The years that passed had been full of happiness, pride, success, as well as with sadness, and difficulties that pushed them past the point they thought they could handle, yet still they overcame. Would that she could go back and change things, she wouldn't. And neither would Anakin. Whispered questions of what could have been was not something they lingered on. They were too old to worry about the past when all they wanted was to spend what time they did have with one another.

But, that was easier said than done at first. To say their children were surprised when they decided to marry, would be the understatement of the century. 'You're too old!' 'It's weird to have you get married now.' 'What would Dad have said?' These were all complaints they had expected, and neither were really bothered by them. Regardless of what their kids said, they knew what they wanted. And no one was going to stop them. Their kids were now grown and with kids of their own too, what say did they have in who they spent the remainder of their life with? It wasn't something that would even disrupt their lives any more than when they came to visit during the holidays. Anakin's son, Luke withdrew his complaints after thinking about it for a little bit. He saw how happy Padme made his father and since Luke now ran the business that Anakin had built, there was not a lot of time for him to visit his father as much as he would like. Leia had a harder time coming to terms with their plans. She had always been close with her father and seeing her mother with another man after Bail's death, was hard for her. Padme understood that. And Anakin had no intentions of replacing her father. He just wanted to give all of himself to Padme. Leia's temper eventually started to simmer as she slowly grew accustomed to the idea and even her son, little Ben started to like it as well, following Anakin around whenever Leia brought him for a visit and even affectionately calling him Grandpop. It was just the cutest thing.

Padme's gaze shifted away from the television to the portrait sitting on their mantle. Their wedding. It had been such a joyous day for all of them. Despite the grey hair on both of their heads, and the way age had made their skin sag, Anakin still said she was an etherial angel and she still though him dashingly handsome in a roguish kind of way. Their wedding had been short and simple as neither really wanted to make too much of a fuss over a second wedding. They still made a little bit of a fuss over location as Padme refused to let them marry any other place besides her family's lake house, and Anakin had no complaints either, especially since it had been the site of their very first kiss so long ago. He had worn a simple black suit, his hair was cut short and showed signs of him attempting to tame some of the more rebellious locks, but to little avail. She had worn a simple white long sleeve dress, embroidered with flowers. Luke and Leia had brought their families down for the small ceremony, where they celebrated with a nice dinner catered by the restaurant owned by the son of one of Anakin's friends. It was a small affair, but one that made her heart flutter every time she thought about it.

Lips pressed to her temple as she felt Anakin's chest rumble as he stretched his legs. "What're you thinking about?" He asked.

"Nothing," She said with a shrug.

"Liar," He scoffed, turning to look at the mantle as well, "You were thinking about how dashing I look in a suit."

"Is that you?" She said, feigning surprise, "I'd never have guessed. How long did it take to weed-wack those hairs in your ears? And how much tape did they use to hold up all of this," She laughed, thumbing through the wrinkles under his chin.

Anakin mock laughed as he rolled his eyes, "Not all of us are blessed with ageless skin."

"Please," She scoffed, slapping his chest playfully, "Do these look ageless?" She held up her hands for him to inspect but his eyes were locked intensely on hers.

"You're as beautiful as the day I met you. That is all that matters." His hand came to rest on the back of her neck as he gently brought his lips to hers. Padme gave into his kiss easily. It felt the same as it always did. Intense, but true. Age had granted them the chance to finally learn what each kiss they gave promised. It was a promise of someday. Life had taken them in different directions, led them to different people and different loves, but the love that was between them, was a love that never truly died. The love they share had always been with them the entire time, dormant, and waiting. It is a love that is beyond true, a love that withstands everything, even the complexities of time and fate. It was simply meant to be.


End file.
